


Heroes of Nightvale

by orphan_account



Series: The Future of Night Vale [2]
Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: Cecil and Carlos really are trying at this parent thing, Evil!Dana, F/M, M/M, Male OC - Freeform, Nightvale is eventually saved from whatever is going on, Welcome to Nightvale wierdness, female oc - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-14
Updated: 2014-08-14
Packaged: 2018-02-13 04:09:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2136456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Second installment of my Nightvale series, ten years after Mayor Dana has visions of the Palmer kids and what they are to become.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Heroes of Nightvale

“WYO!” A voice screamed through the house. Carlos nearly tipped over his experiment, flinching at the sudden outburst. He wondered when his husband would be finished with his broadcast, spring break was taking its toll on him. Wyoming-Luna and Lazarus-Jubal were more energetic than either of their parents ever were.

“YOU CAN’T CATCH ME!” A slim figure with white pigtails flew passed the kitchen and into the closet between that and the living room. Following close behind, a small boy with messy black hair slid across the floor and hit face first into the closet door. He whined and sat down against it, a look of defeat plastered on his face. Carlos sighed and smiled sympathetically. 

“Hey, what is your sister doing this time” Lazarus pouted and looked up at his father.

“She took my favorite lego car”

“And why would she do that?”

“Because I wouldn’t sneak out to go see what Tamika Flynn was doing down town with her” Carlos groaned and helped the boy up.

“Wyo” No answer. “Wyoming, give Laz his car back. No you are most definitely NOT going to see Tamika, she is the leader of the Night Vale security program, whatever is going on down there is too dangerous for you guys yet” The girl opened the door slowly, handing the car to Lazarus and staring up. Her saucer-like violet eyes meeting his brown ones. 

“Sorry Laz” She mumbled under her breath. “ Papa, you said yet. So… One day I can train with Tamika?” Carlos bit his tongue, where did ‘yet’ even come from? He cursed himself and attempted to change the subject. For ten year olds, the twins were sharp, and good at twisting one’s words, working around them, and even finding hidden meanings in what others said.

“Is your radio playing in your room while you play?” Wyo and Laz looked at one another and grinned.

“Daddy’s on there!” Lazarus chirped. So that’s where they heard about the gathering. “He also said that Erika would be there!”

“Laz, all the angels are named Erika. Both of you, no radio for a while okay?”

“You listen to it sometimes” Wyo stated.

“That’s because-“ He rethought his answer, saying he liked to hear Cecil’s voice wasn’t good enough, they had that same reason most likely. “I need to know what is going around town for… scientific reasons and because newspapers are banned since that portal-opening-in-them problem, the radio is how I get the news” They didn’t seem convinced. “Really though, no radio privileges for at least a week” At that, both children opened their mouths in complaint. 

“But papa!” Wyo whined. Laz stayed quiet, he knew better than to try and argue.

“No” Carlos hated being so strict with his children, but if he were to let them outside with all that happens in Night Vale, something was bound to happen. Wyo and Laz went back to their room, Carlos knew Wyo had something on her mind. She was a good girl though, whatever she was thinking, if it was against her parent’s wishes she wouldn’t do it. That’s how it had been for the last ten years at least.  
It stayed silent in the house despite chattering from the twins and clinking of Carlos’s experiment until the door swung open with a loud creek. 

“Dad!” Two voices rang out as their owners shot out of their room to greet the person at the door. 

“Hello Cecil, good day today?” Carlos asked. He rose from his chair, crossing his arms in amusement as Cecil was nearly knocked off his feet by the children running up and hugging him. The radio host hugged them back and stood when they let go.

“Normal, the fuzzy creatures with teeth are back in the studio next to mine though. Lost another intern, you know, the usual. Hey, where-“

“They went back to their room…again”

“They spend a lot of time in there”

“I know, its like they’re planning something” They looked at one another and burst out in laughter. What could a couple of ten year olds be planning.  
Wyo dove under her bed and drew out a paper with messy handwriting and something of a map. Along with that, an actual map of Night Vale.

“Wy, I don’t wanna do this”

“Sh, don’t talk to loud. If Daddy or Papa hears us they’ll get suspicious. 

“I don’t wanna get in trouble”

“And we won’t. I got the window screen out by the way. We can slip through while they’re making dinner” Lazarus-Jubal sat on his bed and played with his thumbs nervously. 

“Isn’t that right now though?”

“Exactly”

“But they’ll notice when we don’t come back when they’re done” Wyo grinned wickedly.

“Who says we’ll miss dinner? We won’t be gone that long” She stuck the papers into the pocket of her jeans, undid her pigtails, and rolled them into a bun.

“I didn’t know you could do that with your hair! You always make daddy do it”

“All part of the plan Laz. Let’s go” With much trepidation, Laz followed behind his sister, climbing as quietly as he could out of the window.

“What now?”

“Well, by the sounds of it, they will be meeting in the whispering forest. So, let’s go there” Without another word, they jogged and walked as far as their little legs could carry them. Passersby waved to them as they made their way down. The forest was only about a mile and half away so it did not take long. 

The trees, however, did not whisper like the kids expected them to. Each tree spoke at a decent volume, each having something to say to either Wyo or Laz.

“I think whoever named this place had it wrong” Wyo said over the noise. At the other end, in a clearing, they could see a group of teenagers. In the middle of the sitting group stood a tall, dark, muscular woman with braids woven with gold and silver trailing down her back like a curtain. She spoke with a loud, clear voice that was certainly meant for ruling. On seeing the new comers, Tamika, they assumed, stopped speaking.

“Welcome! I have not seen you around here before, are you lost?” The crowd parted as Tamika cautiously walked over to them. She knew to be suspicious of everything around here, especially strange little kids that came from nowhere in particular. Wyo stepped in front of her brother, confidence and determination radiating from her presence.

“I am Wyo Gershwin-Palmer! And this, is my brother Laz. We’d like to join you in the fight to protect our home town!” The group of teens began choking on laughter. Tamika hushed them and bent down to Wyo and Laz’s level.

“How old are you?” Wyo kept composure like a soldier.

“we are ten years old, Miss Flynn” Tamika hummed in thought.

“You’re too young to be a part of this. But I like you. I can tell you both have spirit. Come back in a few years, I’d be happy to recruit you” Wyo and Laz smiled, sharing a look of excitement. Wyo was happy to see Laz get excited about this, setting aside his nervousness, she knew he wanted to do this as bad as she. “You should be getting home now. Your parents must be worried” 

“Daddy and papa might be looking for us Wyo. She’s right” Wyo agreed. She’d gotten what she came for… sort of… So she was set to go home. 

“Thank you Tamika. We will be coming back” With that, they left. Tamika watched the twins leave, when out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a black mass. The cloud-like figure misted behind them, moving to a tree closer by. Tamika and her students all saw this, but when the leader finally found her voice, it was too late. She began to run toward them, she knew how to deal with this. 

Taking out a pistol filled with a strange liquid the scientists invented to keep these creatures away, Tamika broke into a sprint.

“Wyo! Laz!” She screamed. They both turned around to see the black mass hurdling at them. Lazarus instinctively took hold of a stick on the ground and swung at it. Surprisingly, the cloud was as real and hard as human being. The cloud figure tumbled to the ground, an angry noise emanating from it. Lazarus, to Tamika’s surprise, swung again. He handled the stick like skilled swordsman.

“Stay!” He hit it again. “Away!” The creature found an opening and jumped on him. Laz rolled over and punched it. “From my sister!” He growled. The thing pounced back with such force that he now had the boy down. Lazarus felt a sharp pain in elbow but tried to ignore it. Laz fell to the ground, pinned against a forest rock. Tamika shot the creature once she was close enough. It flinched, but did not acknowledge the hit. 

“Child of Night Vale” It hissed. Tamika stood as still as a statue. These things did not speak, these things combusted and disappeared after they were shot with one of the liquid bullets. What the hell?  
Wyo wanted to help, but at the moment, was being held back by a tree that of had grabbed her and pinned her against itself. She screamed for her brother until she heard it speaking to her and claiming it was only protecting her. Wyo wasn’t sure if she believed that, but she felt safer.

Laz thrashed around as the creature traced its finger down his arm.

“Go away! I never did anything to you!” It made a sound like screeching which he assumed was laughter.

“Not yet. You haven’t done anything yet” Lazarus realized this thing was on to something. If he could just get it to speak while he came up with a plan, he could make it out of this by himself.

“Yeah? What is it I’m going to do?” The thing went on a rant in Russian, it was he assumed, with the occasional English word. Laz moved from side to side as it continued to keep him in its hold. Until he found what he was looking for. Finding the hardest place on the arm, he arched his neck and bit down as hard as he could.  
The cloud figure shook him off and stumbled backward, allowing Laz to jump up and grab his stick once more. He whipped and slashed. 

“Don’t touch me! Don’t come near me or my sister!” He yelled, still fighting, driven by anger, fear, and the confusion. Tamika Flynn found her second chance and shot the creature once more. It fell to ground, and as she expected, burst into flames. The creature got up before disappearing and whispered into Lazarus’s ear, causing him to gain a shocked expression. Lazarus snapped out of it and ran back to Wyo as the tree released her. Wyo fell on her brother, knocking him down into some singing moss. It was literally singing, at least until a boy landed on it.

After the creature let go of Laz, the gun worked. It was almost as if it were using Laz to power its own shield somehow. 

“Hey kid. Good moves back there. You know what? Forget about what I said. Come back next year to start training with me. You too Wyo” She helped Lazarus-Jubal up. “Say, you two look really familiar, who are your parents?”

“Cecil the radio announcer and Ca-“ Wyo slapped a hand over his mouth.

“Our father is one of the scientists up at the lab and dad is a member of Night Vale radio. We’re just no bodies.” Tamika knelt down in front of them.

“Did you say Cecil? Like /the/ Cecil? That would mean your father must be Carlos” Wyo put her hands on her hips.

“Laz!” She complained. 

“Sorry Wyo” 

“Do they know you’re here?” Lazarus was about to speak again, but Wyo shut him up.

“Yes, they do. In fact, we were just getting back home” Wyo lied. Tamika made a sign to the teens who’d been watching their little performance. A young blonde girl stood and began speaking. 

“I’m going to walk you two back. I don’t trust that something else won’t come by.” They were halfway home when Wyo came up with a question, one that was bothering her greatly.

“Miss Flynn?”

“Yes?”

“Why is it called the whispering forest if the trees talk so loudly. And why do they keep calling the young people around here ‘child of Night Vale’?” The warrior looked taken aback.

“Wyo… The trees do only whisper. And don’t call anyone Child of Night Vale. Are you sure this is what you heard?”

“Yeah, we both heard it” Laz intervened. He quickly looked away, afraid that she would be mad. 

“I don’t know what’s going on. But I would like to find out.” She ran a hand through her braids. “Why would they be calling you the children of Night Vale?” She mumbled half to herself.

Tamika walked the twins up to the little tan house when it came into view.

The warrior waved goodbye to them at the end of the driveway and started back to the forest. As soon as she turned her back, Wyo and Laz ran to the back of the house and slipped back in through the open window. It was only five minutes when Carlos opened the bedroom door and informed them that dinner was ready. 

“Okay papa” Wyo replied. Before going leaving the room, Wyo let her curls down, she wouldn’t want her parents getting suspicious. 

At the square table in the kitchen, Carlos and Cecil sat at one end and Wyo and Laz on the other. Carlos got up to grab salt from the other side of table, stopped by Laz who stood and retrieved for him, as he was closer.

“Thank you Lazarus” As the boy sat back down, he noticed his dad watching him, an observant look on his face.

“Dad?” He asked.

“Laz, come here” Laz did as he was told, looking back at Wyo who shrugged.

“What’s that, on your arm?” Laz turned his arm so whatever his father was looking at could not be seen. “No, show me” Laz did as Cecil asked of him, putting out both his arms, Cecil took Laz’s right arm and inspected it. Just above his elbow, he was bleeding and not a little, but a lot. The gash was covered in small rocks and dirt. Laz had felt it, but hadn’t checked for himself how bad it truly was.

“Oh” Carlos blurted, leaning over to see. “Lazarus-Jubal what did you do?”

“N-nothing”

“I thought you were playing in your room”

“We were” Wyo joined in. Cecil stood up and pushed his chair in. 

“Carlos, could you get Laz cleaned up?” He nodded and took his son into the bathroom. “Wyoming, were you really in your room?”

“Yes” She answered with confidence.

“The whole time?”

“Um, yes” This time, not so confident. 

“Where did you go, really.” Cecil sat in down in Laz’s chair to face Wyo. “I know strange things show up in your room. Angels,” He cringed at the word angels. “ holes in reality, spider snakes. But never a forest, that’s just silly.” Wyo sighed.

“We went to go see Tamika Flynn and her warriors” Cecil stared at her, not saying a word. 

Carlos peeked out of the little bathroom, antiseptic gel and hydrogen peroxide in hand. 

“I thought I told you not to go there” Cecil gave her what most might know as ‘the look parents get just before you get into some deep trouble’. Cecil pinched his nose and adjusted his glasses.

He was the one who’d spoken about the gathering over his show. He forgot his own children listened in, not that he could just not deliver the news about it, but he did not want Wyo and Laz following them. Tamika was a wonderful warrior, as were her students. But they also suffered losses and casualties on a daily basis. He just couldn’t bear to see anything happen to his children.

Cecil remembered the day he thought Carlos was dead, he knew he would be completely crushed if that were Wyo or Laz on that list of missing children. 

“Don’t you ever go back there. Do understand? People in that group die and you won’t be one of those people-“

“I know!-“

“As long! As you do not join them. Ever.”

“Dad!”

“You will stay in school and grow up to be a normal kid”

“Can I join girl scouts?” Cecil raised an eyebrow.

“No, that’s almost as bad”

“But Janice was in it and she’s fine now!”

“Yes, and you’re not Janice” Cecil said with the utmost gentleness. He pulled a twig out of her curly white-silver hair and set it on the table. Wyo got up quickly and stormed back into her room, slamming the door. Cecil rushed after her.

“Wyo?”  
“Go away dad!”

“Please. We just want you safe” When she didn’t answer, he made his way back to the kitchen, putting his head in his hands. Cecil had no idea what was so wrong about what he was doing. Carlos brought Laz back in, his arm wrapped up and tears in the boy’s eyes. Judging by how red Laz’s eyes were and the fact he was holding his bandaged arm, it must have been a pretty bad wound and a painful job of cleaning it up.

“where’s Wyo?” Carlos asked.

“She got angry and went to bed I guess” Laz tugged on Cecil’ sleeve.

“Dad?”

“What is it bud?” Laz spoke in a steady voice despite his aching arm. 

“Why were the trees talking so loud? They kept saying nice things and calling us ‘child of night vale’ and…” Lazarus took a moment to gather up his courage. “A weird thing attacked he and called me that too” Cecil and Carlos thought back to when Dana had met them for the first time and how scared she’d gotten. They knew it had something to do with this. Cecil just wished he could speak to her about this, but she was not the kind of person one could talk to anymore. Dana was as bad as any other politician and never made time for friends. Most people cut her off from them after she announced that anyone questioning her would be re-educated. 

Carlos cleared his throat.

“What did that weird thing look like?” Laz shifted his feet uncomfortably. 

“A black cloudy-thing that also had the shape of a person” Cecil and Carlos exchanged looks.

“And it spoke to you?” Laz nodded. Cecil shook his head.

“They can’t, I mean… They don’t speak. Did it give you a reason?”

“Yeah. Just before Tamika shot it, it whispered to me that heroes have never existed and never will as long as they’re watching”


End file.
